<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Wedding Day by WanderingTheRailroads</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26057266">Wedding Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingTheRailroads/pseuds/WanderingTheRailroads'>WanderingTheRailroads</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Heartbreak, Moving On, One-Sided Attraction, Post-Canon, Unrequited Love, Wedding Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:54:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,359</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26057266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingTheRailroads/pseuds/WanderingTheRailroads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>'Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions, right?'</p><p>Kanoka ponders this question and many more, as she runs on a chilly morning in early spring.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amanai Kanoka/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wedding Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Aoi is supposed to be that Goshiki-lookalike friend of hers who has no canonical name, btw.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s a chilly morning in early spring, and Kanoka Amanai is sprinting down the sidewalk of a street in Sendai, wearing a black off-shoulder dress and cheap sandals.</p><p>As she runs, her sports shoes crunch thin patches of snow still clinging to a season that’s passed them by, nearly making her slip several times. Her volleyball teammate Aoi follows close behind, with phone in hand to check their route as they brave the frigid air and crowds of pedestrians lingering about the shopfronts. Occasionally, Aoi shouts out a direction, and Kanoka swerves to adjust course.</p><p>This spectacle- of two directionally challenged girls dressed for a party, running and yelling as if chasing an Olympic medal, gives onlookers pause. Some yelp angrily when the girls nearly crash into them, others cheer the duo on, and others still ignore them and go about their own business.</p><p>Unfazed, Kanoka continues running.</p><p>“Aoi, we’re gonna be late for Ryuu’s wedding!” she yells, as they pass a bakery with a long queue of customers waiting outside. The smell of freshly baked pastry wafts from within, making her mouth water.</p><p>“We’re already late! Turn left past the bakery!” Aoi shouts in reply through the noise of the crowd, manoeuvring her way past a trio of old ladies chatting obliviously. One of them gives her the stink eye as she elbows her way through, despite her frantic repeated apologies. After bumping into a few more people, Aoi and Kanoka finally break through the crowd, and the two girls proceed past a few more shops before arriving at a junction. Kanoka stops for a moment to catch her breath, looking back at Aoi in confusion.</p><p>“Huh?? I thought it was right!”</p><p>Aoi shakes her head, holding her phone out for Kanoka to see. “Nope, left. It says so on Maps.”</p><p>“I remember the church being that way, though”, Kanoka says.</p><p>“I dunno.” Aoi walks past Kanoka who’s still standing there confused, tugging at Kanoka’s dress sleeve as she goes. “Girl, you grew up here. Shouldn’t you be more familiar with the area?”</p><p>“I moved when I was ten!” Kanoka protests.</p><p>“Okay, okay, calm down.” Aoi reaches up to squeeze Kanoka’s shoulder. They take the left turn and find themselves on another street where even more pedestrians are mulling about. Ahead is a traffic crossing, with cars whizzing back and forth. “Cross the road, and continue straight until we reach 3-chome”, Aoi reads aloud from the instructions on her phone, as they wait for the traffic light to turn red.</p><p>They’re getting nearer now.</p><p>Somehow, Kanoka’s heart won’t stop pounding. <em>It’s</em> <em>as if I’m the one getting married</em>, she muses, rubbing her slightly trembling hands together to stave off the cold. Even being on the volleyball court doesn’t make her so nervous.</p><p><em>Come on, Kanoka. You’ve gotta be happy for him. </em> </p><p>The light turns red and they cross the street, Kanoka putting those long, toned legs honed by volleyball to good use as she bounds across the pavement. She lets her thoughts run wild as well, back to the day she received that invitation.</p><p>She’d spent the whole morning studying at her desk.</p><p>For some inscrutable reason her normally level-headed course lecturers decided <em>‘Let’s hold exams just after the New Year, when everyone’s still hungover and in a festive mood’</em> so two days after Christmas, when most students had gone home for the holidays, Kanoka found herself doing some last-minute revision at her desk.</p><p>The dorm was silent, punctuated only by the heater’s low drone and muffled gunfire from her lower bunk, where Aoi sat gripping a Switch. With Aoi tapping the buttons deftly, her gun-toting warrior character leaped back and forth across the screen, blasting away at hordes of evil soldiers charging her position. Aoi was relaxed, of course, having finished her own exams a week earlier; Kanoka didn’t quite mind the background noise either, too focused on reading to notice.</p><p>‘The Effect of Hormones on Athletic Performance.’ Below that chapter title was a colourful cross-section of a human body, each part labelled- pituitary gland, thyroid, stomach, with snippets of information about their respective hormones. Scanning the text, Kanoka made some notes then turned the page.</p><p>They continued this way for a few hours.</p><p>By the time noon rolled around, Kanoka had gone through three chapters, each filled with scribbles in the margins. As she turned to Chapter 7 – Psychology of Athletes, her stomach grumbled softly. Kanoka sighed. She bookmarked the chapter, grabbed her coat, and stood up, the squeaking of the chair legs on the tiled floor making Aoi look up from her game.</p><p>“I’m going for lunch”, Kanoka said, already by the door. Winter was still at its peak, and even the doorknob was ice-cold to the touch. “Coming?”</p><p>“Nah, it’s so cold out there. Besides, gotta kill this boss first.”</p><p>“Okay. What do you want to eat, then?”</p><p>“Yakisoba bread please. I’ll pay you later”, Aoi replied, turning her attention back to killing enemies. Departing, Kanoka could hear the words ‘Boss Incoming’ echoing from Aoi’s Switch, and a man’s faint, wicked laughter.</p><p>The corridor outside her dorm, usually bustling with students from other faculties, was empty. As she headed for the stairs, Kanoka noted all the locked dorm rooms, their occupants having gone home for the holidays, some to other parts of Tokyo and others as far as Hokkaido or even overseas.</p><p>Entering the lobby connecting the university blocks, Kanoka shivered as a gust of cold air hit her. Someone had left the lobby door ajar. She frowned, closing it, then walked down another hallway to the cafeteria in Block B. The cafeteria was slightly more populated, with a few students seated there eating and studying. Recognizing some of them from her elective classes, Kanoka nodded a brief acknowledgement while passing by.</p><p>One bowl of teriyaki ramen later, Kanoka left the cafeteria with a spring in her step, her motivation boosted by that warm food in her belly. As she headed out of the cafeteria doors with Aoi’s yakisoba bread in a paper bag, two students -one thin and the other fat- crossed her path, deep in conversation.</p><p>“Didja get mail from your girlfriend?”, the thin boy asked. His pudgier friend shook his head.</p><p>“Nah, I don’t think so. She’s busy with part-time work. She’ll probably send something after the New Year, anyway.”</p><p>“Maybe ya should check.”</p><p>“Eh, later.” The fat boy waved dismissively, and they walked off towards the lobby.</p><p><em>Maybe you should check your mail. </em>Those words lodged in her mind, and Kanoka was suddenly reminded of Ryuu, feeling as if a large hole had opened in her chest. She hadn’t seen him since that day during Nationals, but they kept in touch and exchanged snapshots of their lives via messages:</p><p>
  <em>Their high school graduation photos. Her new bike. His new job. Her acceptance letter to university. His beautiful, dark-haired girlfriend.</em>
</p><p>Kanoka winced, feeling a pang of jealousy over that last item.  She set that thought aside and headed for the letter boxes, wondering if he’d ever send her a letter given his disdain for old-fashioned things. Conveniently, she didn’t have far to walk, as the rows of metal boxes were just past the cafeteria in an alcove by Lecture Block D’s entrance.</p><p>Bending down, Kanoka reached into Box 2E near the bottom and pulled out a jumble of papers.</p><p>‘GREAT DEALS! VISIT OUR STORE NOW TO-’</p><p>‘Dear Aoi, dad and I have been doing well-”</p><p>‘Thank you for your subscription to Volleyball World-”</p><p>There were a few more sheets of paper, mostly recruitment flyers and newsletters. She began to gather them into a bundle when something caught her eye: a thin envelope with ornate trimming around the edges, addressed to her.</p><p>Opening it carefully to avoid tearing the seal, the letter within made Kanoka’s heart stop.</p><p>‘You are cordially invited to the wedding of Tanaka Ryuunosuke and Shimizu Kiyoko.”</p><p> </p><p>From down the hallway, Kanoka could hear Aoi whooping for joy, presumably having beaten the game. Entering the dorm, she shut the door behind her and gave Aoi (who was now lying sidewayson the bed) a strange look.</p><p>“Sorry, am I being too loud?” Aoi asked, setting her console aside. “I mean, there’s no one else here right now, but-”</p><p>Kanoka shook her head, handing her the papers along with her yakisoba bread and that wedding invitation. “You are cordially invited to the wedding of Tanaka Ryuu-” Aoi read aloud, halting as the revelation clicked in her brain. “Hey, that’s the guy who rejected you!”</p><p>“Yup, one of Karasuno’s wing spikers. And my childhood friend.”</p><p>Aoi frowned and took a bite from her yakisoba bread. “Sure you wanna go?”</p><p>“Why not?” Kanoka asked.</p><p>“You know he’s gonna break your heart again, right?” Saying nothing, Kanoka sat down on the bed beside Aoi. Her friend was right, of course. Kanoka had broken her leg once in a middle school tournament, and it hurt like hell for weeks after. This could be even worse. Just a simple <em>Yes </em>or <em>No, </em>and yet here she was, struggling to move forward.</p><p>“Well, you could always say you’re busy with university”, Aoi continued. They lingered for a while in silence, as Kanoka turned the answer over in her mind. “Take your time, we’ve got another month to-</p><p>“No, I’ll go”, Kanoka said. “If you’re accompanying me.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>With that settled, Aoi figured Kanoka needed some blessings. On New Year’s morning just before dawn, they woke up early and threw on their winter coats to visit a nearby shrine.</p><p>Climbing the worn stone steps lined on either side by trees, they found themselves in a queue of people who’d had the same idea: families with children in tow; groups of high school boys; old folks hobbling upwards; couples holding hands.</p><p>By the time they reached the shrine itself, the sun was beginning to rise. Fumbling in her pocket as the shrine’s caretaker watched impatiently, Kanoka produced a few coins and dropped them into the offering box, bowing in silent prayer with her hands clapped together. Aoi did the same.</p><p>They drew their fortunes, then retreated to a nearby bench away from the crowd.</p><p>“What’d you get?” Aoi asked, leaning over to peek at Kanoka’s slip of paper.</p><p>“Um, great blessing”, Kanoka said.</p><p>“Wow.” Aoi’s eyes widened, and she nodded sagely. “Yeah, you’ll need it.”</p><p>“What about you?”</p><p>“Small blessing. It’s fine, my exams are over, so I don’t need luck for now.”</p><p>She giggled at Aoi’s remark, then turned her attention to the crowd. Nearby, a couple walked hand in hand. The girl playfully smacked her boyfriend’s arm as he teased her about some inside joke. Oblivious to the world around them, they continued ribbing each other and disappeared into the crowd after a while.</p><p>For a moment, Kanoka let her mind wander to the what-ifs. She imagined <em>Ryuu and her, walking hand in hand through a crowd of shrine visitors. A clumsy old man would cross their path, nearby bumping into her, and Ryuu would hold her close to protect his dearest friend and lover from injury.</em></p><p>
  <em>He would want-</em>
</p><p>“Wanna go? Or should we stay here a while more?” Aoi asked, cutting short her fantasies. Kanoka stood and took Aoi’s hand, keeping those thoughts of hers a secret.</p><p>The rest of the month passed quickly, as Kanoka sat for exam after exam that left her reeling from the volume of information demanded. Soon, February came round, and along with it the day of their trip.</p><p> </p><p>In the eaves of the train platform, they and a few other passengers were seated waiting for the afternoon train to arrive. “Did you bring everything?” Aoi asked, gesturing to the backpack on Kanoka’s lap.</p><p>“Yup. But it’s a bit late to ask now, isn’t it?” Kanoka glanced at her watch. “The train’s arriving in ten minutes.”</p><p>“We could always run back to the uni. You’re really fast.”</p><p>Kanoka rolled her eyes. “Only on the court. And it’s snowing, anyway. I’m supposed to visit a wedding not a hospital.”</p><p>Just then, the train pulled up to the platform with a low rumble. Guided in by a conductor, their fellow passengers dispersed to different carriages. Kanoka picked a window seat while Aoi sat across from her, and they settled in for a long journey.</p><p>“When’s the last time you went back to Sendai, anyway?” Aoi asked after a while. By this time, the train was already on Tokyo’s outskirts.</p><p>“Honestly? Never. When I met Ryuu at Nationals”, Kanoka said, grimacing as she counted down on her fingers, “It was after like, what, five years?”</p><p>“Wow. And all this time you’ve been hopelessly in love. Poor Kanoka.”</p><p>Kanoka’s cheeks flushed light pink and she turned away to stare out the window, hoping to hide that growing blush. With spring only just emerging from its burrow, the landscape was still coated in powdery white snow clinging to rooftops and tree branches, forming icicles that glimmered with captured sunlight. In the house yards, there were men and women hanging out their laundry, heedless of the long-distance train rolling by.</p><p>She continued watching the scenery for a long time. As it pulled out into the countryside, Kanoka leaned back and ran through her mental checklist of the day’s plans.</p><p>Get to the budget hotel around 7 or 8 pm. Check in.  Have dinner. Maybe explore the area around the hotel for a bit, if Aoi’s up for it. Head back to the hotel room and sleep. Wake up early tomorrow. Take a taxi to the wedding.</p><p>She turned to ask Aoi something, but the shorter girl was already asleep and snoring, with her head lolling back on the seat’s headrest. Kanoka closed her eyes too.</p><p>The chill air seeping from outside made her dream of Ryuu, a memory from when they were younger and play-fighting with snowballs. They’d climb all over a hill nearby Ryuu’s house, packing snow into loose clumps and flinging it about till his sister would call them back for lunch or dinner. Those battles always dissolved into rough tumbles in the snow, somehow. They were wrestling again and arguing about who won the last snowball battle, when she awoke with a jolt as the train came to a grinding halt.</p><p>Blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Kanoka peered around, noticing the sky outside the window was dark. Further down the tracks, the lights of a station were blinking. Had they reached Sendai?</p><p> After a moment, the train lurched forward and began trudging towards the station, where it came to a halt again. An announcement crackled over the train’s speaker.</p><p> </p><p>‘Attention passengers, please be aware that due to snow buildup, the train is unable to proceed any further. Service will resume once the tracks are cleared. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused.’</p><p>Craning her neck to peer at the station’s signboard, Kanoka immediately frowned- they were still more than an hour away from Sendai. She nudged Aoi awake and explained the situation.</p><p>“Well, we’re stuck here” Aoi said, sighing. She pointed to the nearly empty coach. Already, most passengers had left.</p><p>“Let’s have dinner first.” Kanoka grabbed her bag and stood up, with Aoi quickly falling in line behind her.</p><p>“Sure, sounds good.” Passing through the ticketing gate and further into the station, they stumbled across a commotion. Surrounded by irate passengers, a lone employee stood trying to stem the tide, answering their questions and calming their worries over the delay. With all the shouting, it took a minute or two for Kanoka and Aoi to get a word in.</p><p>“There’s an izakaya down the road. Pretty nice food”, was all he said before the crowd continued haranguing him, and so the two girls set off to fill their bellies. After a 5-minute walk down the street, the izakaya’s dim, flickering yellow signboard came into view. At the outdoor tables, customers were eating and smoking and drinking over the din of a crappy 90s pop song. Inside was much the same. As they approached the front door, Aoi spied a wooden plaque above it.</p><p>“‘Yukihana Izakaya and Karaoke Bar’”, she read aloud, turning to Kanoka with a curious look in her eye. “Hey Kanoka, wanna sing karaoke? I’ll pay for it, don’t worry.”</p><p>“I’m- I’m not that good at singing”, Kanoka squeaked. “Besides, do we even have time?”</p><p>“Come on, it’ll be fun. Plus, I heard the conductor say it’ll take a few hours to get the snow cleared.”</p><p>Kanoka hesitated for a moment, then gave in. “Okay, sure. But we should get back by nine just in case.”</p><p>They entered and walked up to the rather bored-looking waiter, asking for a ‘non-smoking’ room as a preference. He nodded, leading them down a corridor to a dimly lit and slightly cramped room, half of its space taken up by a sofa and table facing the karaoke TV screen.</p><p>‘When you’re ready to order, just let me know” he said, ushering them in and handing Aoi a menu before leaving to attend some other customers. Immediately, Kanoka set about figuring out the karaoke system while Aoi browsed the menu.</p><p>“How about an unagi bento set?” Aoi asked, as Kanoka turned the TV on and a heavy metal song began to play. Frowning, Kanoka tapped the Menu button; now a cowboy was riding across the screen with his damsel in tow. She tapped again, conjuring an image of Heian-era Japan.</p><p>“That’s fine with me”, Kanoka replied without looking at Aoi, still focused on trying to bring up the song list. At last, she found it, just as Aoi left the room. She heard Aoi shuffling out in search of the waiter, the soft sounds of their conversation filtering through the door. Aoi came back in a moment later and flopped down on the sofa.</p><p>“Have you picked your songs?” she asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I chose a few for you too. Just give me a minute, I’ll-” Kanoka selected Play and a Burnout Syndromes music video blared to life. “Oh. There we go.”</p><p>Aoi scanned the tracklist. “They’re all rock songs huh?” Grabbing her mic, she began belting out the lyrics to ‘Hikari Are’ alongside the band. Aoi managed to get through three songs before the waiter arrived holding a tray of food and beer glasses.</p><p>“You ordered beer too??” Kanoka asked. She winced as Aoi jabbed her lightly in the stomach.</p><p>“Loosen up a bit, you’ve been so worried about everything!”</p><p>“Thanks, but…will we be fine drinking?”</p><p>“That’s why we’re doing it <em>now</em>, and not tomorrow morning.”</p><p>Shrugging, Kanoka raised the glass to her lips.</p><p>They drank and sang, and ate, and drank some more. At some point, the list of rock songs gave way to cheesy love ballads, and Kanoka’s vision began to swim about. By the time they stumbled out of Yukihana, Kanoka was <em>very</em> drunk and tripping over her own feet. Halfway down the road to the station, she stopped, squatting on the sidewalk.  </p><p>“What’s the matter?” Aoi asked, feeling a little lightheaded herself. “Did you get hurt?”</p><p>“Uh, inside”, Kanoka said softly, staring at the ground.</p><p>“Huh? Where does it hurt?? Do you need a plaster?”</p><p>“It hurts inside. Here.” Touching the left side of her chest, Kanoka began sniffling with a thin stream of snot and tears running down her face. A few people walked past, staring at the strange girl crying on the sidewalk. “It’s just…I dunno. It’s just painful. I don’t even know why I’m going to see him, when it hurts so bad and I wish it was us, not her at the altar. Maybe I should just turn back.”</p><p>Before Kanoka could cause even more of a scene, Aoi squatted down beside her, and draped the taller girl’s arm over her shoulder. “Come on, Kanoka. You’ve come this far.”</p><p>Aoi stood and began trudging forward with Kanoka leaning on her shoulder, the height difference making her feel as if she was carrying a particularly large and heavy gym mat.</p><p>“I’m such a bad person. I mean, I mean, Kiyoko-san is a perfectly nice girl, but I can’t…” Kanoka mumbled, her words trailing off and becoming unintelligible.</p><p>When they eventually made it back to the station, she set Kanoka down on a bench within the sheltered lobby, near the ticketing machines.</p><p>“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were such a lightweight with alcohol” Aoi said. Kanoka shook her head.</p><p>“It’s fine.”</p><p>By then, it was nearly 10pm. On the wall-mounted digital display was shown NEXT TRAIN – 12:00AM, so Aoi made her decision. A quick consultation with the station employees told her it was fine to stay the night there, at their own risk of course. Reaching into her backpack, Aoi pulled out a spare jacket and draped it over Kanoka.</p><p>“Is not…will…fine?” Kanoka asked, her words too slurred to make out.</p><p>“Yeah., it’s fine. We won’t make it to the hotel in time, at this rate.”</p><p>She sat down beside Kanoka, and they drifted off to sleep in that quiet train station.</p><p> </p><p>A hundred hammers were pounding away at Kanoka’s head when she woke the next morning. Her throat was parched. On the bench beside her, Aoi was still snoring away. Kanoka reached for her water bottle then stopped, noticing the time on her watch: 9:00am.</p><p>“Aoi!” she yelled, flinging off her extra coat and shaking her friend awake.  “We’ll be late! The wedding is at ten-thirty!”</p><p>“Shit!” Aoi swore as she was rudely awakened. Kanoka continued shaking her. “Okay, I get it! Stop shaking me, I’m already awake!”</p><p>As if on cue, the station’s speakers crackled to life. ‘Next train to Sendai is arriving in ten minutes.’ Disregarding the aches and pains in their bodies after that drinking session, the girls leaped from their seats and rushed about- to the bathroom, to change into their wedding clothes, to buy sandwiches for breakfast, to get their tickets checked.</p><p>Kanoka and Aoi made it to the platform just as the train rolled in.</p><p>They rushed in and found seats near the door. The rest of the journey was filled with small talk as they nibbled their egg sandwiches, while Kanoka’s lingering doubts continued gnawing at her mind. Occasionally, she’d check her watch and see the minutes tick by, torn between wanting to arrive on time and having an excuse to miss the wedding.</p><p>They arrived at Sendai at 10:20. Immediately, the duo headed for the taxi stands but found none there. Kanoka’s pounding headache was back.</p><p>“What now? Should we stay here a while more?” Aoi asked, after five minutes of fruitless waiting. Kanoka stared at the ground, and at the hem of her dress, then at Aoi.</p><p>“It’s pretty nearby. Let’s run for it”, she said at last.</p><p>“Seriously?? We’re in dresses and heels!” Aoi gestured to their bodies, indicating the wedding attire, but already Kanoka had changed back into the sandals she’d been wearing throughout their trip. Without waiting for Aoi to agree, she took off running down the road. Aoi sighed and did the same. At a junction where Kanoka stopped to check her direction, she caught up with Kanoka, panting hard.</p><p>“I guess love makes you do crazy things huh?” she said. Kanoka ignored her, looking left and right at both forks in the road.</p><p>“Which way?” Kanoka asked.</p><p>Grumbling, Aoi pulled out her phone and turned on her Maps application. After a few seconds of orienting themselves, the answer came: <em>Turn Right.</em></p><p>They broke into a jog again and turned right, passing a park where children were playing and giggling, then headed straight till the path intersected with a bustling street. Farther down the street, there was a bakery which they passed and turned left.</p><p>After a few more times crossing the road and making turns, they round the corner past a traffic light, and walk into a dead end.</p><p>“Pretty sure this isn’t the church”, Aoi says, frowning as she stares at her phone. “I think it might be a few blocks down. Let’s head back to the traffic light.”</p><p>Retracing their path to the traffic light, the girls find themselves waiting outside a darkened shoplot.</p><p>“If we’re on 1-chome, then we should be standing in front of Umezawa Real Estate…”, Aoi says.</p><p>“This doesn’t look like a real estate agency” Kanoka mutters, trying to stare in past the shop’s closed blinds and seeing only darkness. No name above the door either. Frustrated, she takes a step back onto the road to peer up at their main signboard. ‘Umezawa and Sons Real Estate’ is written on it in cursive red letters.</p><p>“Yup, it’s the right place” she calls out, just as a car drives past her, honking loudly.  </p><p>“Careful!” Aoi pulls Kanoka back, narrowly avoiding a collision. The rather junky-looking car honks once more and continues down the road. Kanoka pauses. Something about it seems familiar,.</p><p>The car comes to a sudden halt. A man with a shaved head emerges, decked out in a fancy looking suit and tie. He waves to her.</p><p>
  <em>Ryuu?</em>
</p><p>“Kanoka!” he calls out, practically bouncing up and down on his heels with excitement as he runs over to give her a high-five.</p><p>“W-What’re you doing here? Aren’t you getting married today??” she asks, eyes wide.</p><p> “Uh, to be honest…I woke up late.” He chuckles sheepishly, staring at the floor, and Kanoka has to cover her mouth to stifle her own laughter. That part of him hasn’t changed, at least. “What about you girls, though?”</p><p>“We got lost” they both reply at once. Kanoka adds, “It’s a long story.”</p><p>“Oh. Well, just walk down the block and turn right, then head straight until you reach the church. But since you’re here, I’ll give you a lift.”</p><p>He gestures for them to come in. Mouthing a quick ‘thanks’, Kanoka clambers into the passenger seat, telling Aoi to get in quickly, but she shakes her head.</p><p>“S’okay, I need the exercise. We ate and drank too much last night.”</p><p>Before Kanoka can protest, Aoi takes off running again.</p><p>“What’s with her?” Tanaka asks.</p><p>“She’s always like that. Free-spirited, and does whatever she wants.” Inwardly, Kanoka’s not sure whether to hug Aoi or kick her later for leaving them alone. “It’ll be fine, let’s go.”</p><p>Tanaka shrugs and guns the accelerator. As the car rattles along, Kanoka takes the time to glance over at him, noting how he’s got a faint beard and is slightly pudgier. Tanaka is taller too, she notices; they’re on eye-level now.</p><p>“How’d you get here, anyway? By train?” he asks as they turn the corner and stop at another traffic light.</p><p>“Yeah.” Kanoka recounts the events of the past few days, leaving out the bit with her drunken rant. As he listens, Tanaka nods along.</p><p>“You could’ve just asked me for a lift, y’know” he says when she’s done explaining, looking concerned.</p><p>“I didn’t want to trouble you or Kiyoko.”</p><p>“Oi. Come on.” Tanaka groans and punches her lightly on the arm. “We’ve been best pals since forever, it’s no biggie.”</p><p><em>Just friends?, </em>she thinks, but doesn’t say it aloud. “Sorry. I didn’t expect to get lost.”</p><p>“Guess you’re more of a Tokyo girl now.”</p><p>“I guess.” <em>I still missed you though. </em>The light turns green, and they lapse into silence. Shortly after, Tanaka pulls into the parking lot of a rather modest church, its walls decorated with streamers and flyers announcing the wedding of</p><p>
  <strong>T. Ryuunosuke </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>and </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>S.</strong>
  <strong>Kiyoko.</strong>
</p><p>The ceremony has already begun, and Kanoka can hear organ music coming from within.</p><p>Heading round to the side of the church, Tanaka opens a side door to let her in. They take barely five steps into the church, before a deep, booming voice halts them in their tracks.</p><p>“Tanaka Ryuunosuke, you’re late. For your own wedding!” the broad-shouldered man says, glaring at Tanaka who quivers like a plate of jelly.</p><p>“Sorry, Daichi-san” he blurts out, clasping his hands together as another man comes round the corner, a short fellow with spiky hair that probably makes up one-third of his height.</p><p>“Oh? Ryuu finally arrived?” the short man asks. <em>He seems familiar</em>, she muses, maybe they met at Nationals back then. As Tanaka continues apologizing, the man breaks into raucous laughter, doubled over and clutching his belly. “Hah, imagine that! Being late for your own wedding!”</p><p>Tanaka, of course, fires back at Nishinoya about the time he was late for a tournament. All the while, Daichi fumes. After a solid minute of Kanoka watching the Karasuno drama special, Noya finally notices her standing there.</p><p>“Oh!” Nishinoya shouts.  “It’s that beautiful girl that liked R-”</p><p>Before he can finish the sentence, Daichi silences him with a withering glare. Tanaka opens his mouth to say something and is silenced as well.</p><p>“Sorry about these guys.” Daichi shakes his head. “They’re still idiots even now.”</p><p>Kanoka smiles knowingly, remembering some of her own team’s antics. “That’s fine.”</p><p>Daichi shoves the two of them into the main hall and follows suit. As the three men leave, Kanoka hesitates for a moment.</p><p>“You coming?” Daichi asks, looking back at her.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Kanoka enters and takes her seat beside a mousy-looking blonde girl; the wedding ceremony is in full swing now. There are speeches from Ryuu and his sister Saeko, and the Karasuno boys, and slideshows of childhood photos -<em>some of which she recognizes-, </em>and someone singing a rather offkey song. Then the MC <em>(who looks suspiciously like a Japanese version of Jesus)</em> announces that it’s time. The bride enters.</p><p>Kiyoko is smiling, clad in a white and blue dress that seems to flow like water, the very portrait of grace as she glides down the aisle accompanied by her father. All eyes are on her. He lets her go, and she moves to take her place up front beside Tanaka and his sister. All the while, Kanoka grips the hem of her dress tightly and won’t let go, her eyes brimming with tears.</p><p>The vows are read and echoed.</p><p>Tanaka fumbles a little as he lifts Kiyoko’s veil.</p><p>They kiss.</p><p>As the hall erupts into applause and cheers, Kanoka unclenches her fist.</p><p>The crowd disperses into the church yard later for refreshments, and Kanoka quickly grabs a drink and some food, retreating to the fringes.</p><p>“Not joining in? Go say hi to the bride or something”, Aoi says, walking up to her with her own drink in hand.</p><p>“I wouldn’t wanna spoil their moment” Kanoka replies. Aoi frowns and gives her a strange look.</p><p>“Don’t be such a downer”, Aoi says. As she watches, Tanaka and Kiyoko break away from their conversation. “Oh, they’re coming this way.”</p><p>Kiyoko can’t really walk fast with her long dress, but she seems to move effortlessly, with Tanaka lumbering beside her as they approach. Seeing Kanoka, Kiyoko smiles warmly and waves.</p><p>“You’re Amanai-san, right?” she asks in a soft voice, as Tanaka engages in a conversation with Aoi simultaneously.</p><p>“Yup. Congratulations”, Kanoka says, reaching out to shake Kiyoko’s hand. A brief pang of jealousy wells up, but she pushes it back down.</p><p>“Thanks. How’s your volleyball career going?”</p><p>“Oh! Um, it’s good. We’ve got another match soon, and-” Kanoka pauses, sipping her drink. “You don’t mind if I go on a tangent?”</p><p>“No problem. I <em>was </em>their club manager, so I’ve heard it all before. Go on.”</p><p>Nodding, Kanoka launches into a long explanation of her triumphs and struggles on the court, their upcoming opponents, the team’s practice schedule, various mishaps, and many other things. Kiyoko takes all this in, then laughs and tells Kanoka that <em>Ryuu was right</em>, his childhood friend really is an exceptional player. Hearing Kiyoko’s compliment, Kanoka blushes lightly and denies it.</p><p>They continue talking for a while about various volleyball-related matters, before Tanaka joins in as Aoi wanders off to get more food. As the conversation goes on, a thought comes to Kanoka’s mind: maybe, just maybe, she’ll find the strength to fully let him go someday. But for now, it is what it is.</p><p>She leans back against the fence and gulps down the rest of her drink. It’s sickeningly sweet.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not my best work, but eh. </p><p>Was also planning an extra scene, involving Kiyoko tossing the bouquet, volleyball shenanigans, and YachiHina, but I'm kinda lazy to write it tbh.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>